Blue Strike

We would like to know about some of the fundraising practices you used in your organization, specifically the practices you used in 2013. Please think back to that period -- January through December of 2013 -- and answer each question to the best of your ability. If you need to consult another member of your staff, or research your records to answer any of the questions, feel free to do so.

There are a total of 20 questions, and they should take about 10 minutes to answer. Questions will display one at a time. If, for some reason, you are unable to complete this questionnaire in one sitting, simply close your browser wherever you pause. When you want to return to the survey, click again on the link provided, and the answers you have already given will be there.

This page describes the Nonprofit Research Project's goals, research design, and preliminary findings. This information was first presented in March 2015 at the Nonprofit Technology Conference in Austin. View the presentation.

See the final report: Popular Fundraising Practices: How Well Do They Work for Advocacy Organizations

Research Goals

• help staff choose the most effective fundraising strategies -- aimed at increasing giving among current donors -- for their organization

• take into account the organization’s size, staff experience, and board involvement. In other words, which “best practice” will be the best practice for my organization?

• focus on cost-effective and easy to execute strategies, so . . . no galas!

Research Design

• 778 organizations were selected at random to receive a 20-question survey on their fundraising practices

• the study was limited to organizations engaged in advocacy, public policy, civic engagement, and public interest law 

• the online survey was sent via email to the development director or, in the absence of a development director, the executive director

• the survey was conducted from Jan. 20 to Feb. 17, 2015

• personal phone calls were made to encourage participation

• survey responses were matched with IRS administrative records (FY2013) to create the datafile

About the sample

• 174 responses

• 162 completed surveys

• 44 states represented, the most from DC and California

• 14 different categories represented, from arts and culture to health, education, and international affairs. Environment, civil rights, and crime/legal related categories had the highest numbers.

Individual Giving and Revenue

• Most organizations (77 percent) have fewer than 1,000 donors

• Most (60 percent) have fewer than 5,000 names on their email file

• Average revenue is $1,995,251 (median is $1,266,532)

• Only 17 percent count on individual donors to make up 50 percent or more of their revenue

Staff and volunteers

• Two-thirds of the organizations have staff dedicated to development

• 38 percent have executive directors with less than five years tenure; while one-third have tenure of 10 years or more

• Two-thirds of the organizations indicated that at least a few of their board members engaged in fundraising activities, either meeting with donors, sharing names, or thanking donors personally. However, out of this group, only about one-third said that more than a quarter of their board members participated in these activities.

Fundraising Practices

• More than half (54 percent) have sustainer programs, but of that group, only 12 percent place a heavy emphasis on this program

• About half also use matching campaigns (47 percent) and conditional ask strings (51 percent)

• Only 42 percent have giving clubs

• The most widely used fundraising practice, coming in at 85 percent, is a donate button on the website

• Only 30 percent have mobile compatible donation forms

• View the full report: Popular Fundraising Practices: How Well Do They Work for Advocacy Organizations

Blue Strike supported an academic research project examining nonprofit fundraising practices. In January 2015, 778 organizations received a 20-question survey about their fundraising activities. 

Preliminary findings were presented March 6, 2015 at the Nonprofit Technology Conference in Austin. Findings and recommendations were shared with all respondents and disseminated to the nonprofit community at large. The survey results are intended to aid in the development of tools that will improve the nonprofit community’s performance and positively affect the work of many organizations.

If you have any questions or would like more information about the research, please feel free to contact me at (703) 399-0855.

Mary Dillon Kerwin